Bono-Manso (Bono Kingdom)

Bono-Manso (Bono Kingdom) was a forest kingdom founded around 1400, by Asaman, southwest of the Black and White Volta. It was greatly expanded by Ameyaw and Obunumankola, in the second half of the 1400s. It is considered the first of the Akan states to emerge. Bono-Manso was the capital city. The state was able to conquer other Akan speaking people and control the gold region of Banda. This was pre-Asante Empire times. It was a relatively small empire because it had no cavalry. The empire was tapped by the Dyula traders at Begho (Nsoko) as a source of gold for the trans-Saharan trade, due to increase demand from western Sudan and North Africa and Europe. The kingdom also traded in kola nuts.